


better luck necks time

by forsekais



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, they foster a pet together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:22:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29633208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forsekais/pseuds/forsekais
Summary: “Why is there no garlic in this garlic bread?”“Really, Sehun? Do you have a death wish?”Alternatively:Jongin is convinced that his new roommate is a vampire. He’s not sure if this could be a better love story than Twilight, but he’ll try. Maybe. Probably.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 51
Kudos: 362
Collections: Sekai's Grace





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Grace's Sekai fest (´꒳`)♡ Another "I'll write 3k words" that ends up here. Hope you enjoy it ♡ Any kudo and comment is very appreciated!
> 
> [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/forsekais)

It starts when Baekhyun decides to move out.

“Traitor,” Jongin hisses as he puts an extra sheet of bubble wrap around Baekhyun’s pastel pink bowl. “I can’t believe you are going to leave me behind. Me. Your best friend. Your little brother. Your family. Your muse.”

“You modeled for me once, and it was five years ago,” Baekhyun says, picking up a stack of newspapers to pack his collection of shot glass. “Don’t worry, you will love Sehunnie.”

Jongin doesn’t want to love _Sehunnie_ , or whoever will replace Baekhyun as his roommate. Seven years living with Baekhyun are not exactly seven years in heaven, but Baekhyun is a nice roommate. He’s Jongin’s friend first, and their friendship is still going strong after they decided to rent an apartment together so that fact alone says a lot. Some friendships just aren’t cut out for the living together test, luckily theirs is not one of these. Sure, Baekhyun loves throwing irrelevant explicit themed house parties and has no concept of privacy and likes biting Jongin’s butt at the most inconvenient times (i.e. when he’s in the shower or when he’s in the middle of watching a horror movie), but he’s also the only one who can tolerate Jongin’s clumsiness, his weird sleeping hours, his misuse of the kitchen space, his bleeding heart that urges him to foster random stray animals he finds on the street, and his addiction to Lego. Jongin couldn’t count how many times Baekhyun had accidentally stepped on the Lego pieces that Jongin left all over the floor while working on a new set, yet he never gets angry. In short, Baekhyun is the most compatible roommate, and now he’s leaving Jongin.

“I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together,” Jongin sniffles. There’s a box at his feet with huge _Fragile Item_ red labels on four sides. Baekhyun’s wine bottles are in there; he really takes _everything_ with him. “All men do is lie.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Don’t be such a drama queen. When I first dated Yixing, I told you one day I’d have to move out and you literally told me you couldn’t wait to send my ass off.”

That’s because Jongin didn’t think Baekhyun would decide to get married just two years after he started dating. Yixing is a good guy, but Baekhyun is notorious for his distaste for commitment and settling down before the age of 40. Yet here he is, celebrating his engagement with Yixing before his 28th birthday. He looks so fucking in love Jongin wants to throw up.

“You and Sehun will get along well,” Baekhyun says. “You guys are the same age. He likes video games too.”

Many people like video games. Video games are mainstream. Doing laundry for Jongin and lending Jongin his Kakao Pay account so Jongin could order fried chicken or buy comic books online are not mainstream, but _important_. Unless this Sehunnie guy can wash Jongin’s clothes and then separate them by type and fold them and put them back into Jongin’s closet, Jongin doesn’t want a new roommate.

“Just because you give me a replacement doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you,” Jongin sulks. Does the new guy even know Jongin’s favorite chicken flavor? Or does he know how to take care of a mini horse should Jongin decide to rescue one? Baekhyun once performed a surgery on a meerkat and brought her back from the verge of death and Jongin doesn’t think any random video game addict out there could top that. “Why don’t you just take me with you? Give me a room in the basement or something. You won’t even notice that I’m there.”

Baekhyun sighs. “You’re an adult, Jonginnie.” Last week Baekhyun still called him a baby when he talked to Jongin’s mom on the phone. Men really can’t be trusted, Jongin knows it. That’s why he’s been single for three years now. Anyway. “Who will wake me up for Saturday brunch when you’re gone? Who will hand wash my white shirts for me? Who will pay for cat food? Who will take care of me when I’m hungover? I’m going to die, and it’s your fault.”

“No one is going to die.” Another lie, because everyone dies. No matter how hard humans try, they can't escape Samsara. “Our new place is only twenty minutes away. You can come for a sleepover every week.”

“Can I come every day instead?”

“No.”

Baekhyun is too busy moving boxes to pay attention to Jongin’s whining. After pouting for five minutes and receiving no response, Jongin gives up. At the end of the day, he only has himself. Life is cruel like that. “What if my new roommate is a serial killer?”

“Stop spending so much time on Netflix,” Baekhyun speaks in his disappointed father tone, the one that he uses when Jongin swipes right a fuck boy on Tinder or when he pulls an overnight to play LoL. “Sehun is a programmer. He works for a pretty famous company in Gangnam.”

Great. A computer geek. “Is he a Carl Sagan or a MC Frontalot? Should I buy him a pair of high-water pants as a welcome gift?”

“Play nice, Jongin,” Baekhyun says. “Sehun is not a nerd. I mean, he kind of is, but you’re just the same. Those cartoons that you cry over—”

“First, it’s anime. Second, Attack on Titan is a masterpiece. It deserves an Oscar. Did I tell you about how Levi—”

“I gotta take this phone call,” Baekhyun says. “Can you help me with the books?” He makes a gesture to the row of books in the corner before disappearing into his bedroom. Jongin is certain there’s no phone call; Baekhyun is too much of a scaredy cat to appreciate Attack on Titan. Well, his loss.

When Jongin finishes putting the fifteenth teenage romance novel into a box, he hopes that the new guy at least has a better taste than Baekhyun.

*

The new guy, or Sehun, turns out to have a better taste than Baekhyun. On his move-in day, he shows up at the door with a suitcase full of collectibles and manga. He doesn’t have any Attack on Titan action figure, but his collection includes a few quality series: One Piece, Gintama, Bleach, Prince of Tennis.

Sehun also has a better ass than Baekhyun. He has a broad back, but a slim build that reminds Jongin of a swimmer’s body. His body proportion is insane, and his face is just. Flawless. If humans were sculpted by the gods, then Sehun’s creator would be the master. The best craftsman in the deity village.

“If you plan to stare at me like that for a few more hours, could you at least help me with these boxes?”

Baekhyun is right. Sehun is no ordinary nerd. He wears a sporty outfit: Nike sweatpants and shoes, plus a grey tight fit T-shirt that accentuates his broad chest. He could easily be labeled as a meathead. With big tiddies. They look heavy. Jongin kind of wants to lend a hand. Oh, and a witty, pretty mouth he has on top of all these mesmerizing features.

“Help.” Jongin says. “Right. Help.” Jongin really doesn’t do well in front of hot guys. Baekhyun thinks this inconvenient loss of communication skills is the reason why Jongin is still single. “I will....open the curtains.”

Jongin turns around in the direction of the window so he doesn’t have to look at Sehun’s perky nipples and imagine his lips around them, turning them pink and hot and hard.

“No!” Sehun shrieks, startling Jongin. Jongin hopes his nosy neighbor isn’t home, otherwise she’d make up some bullshit like usual and go tell the neighborhood that Jongin is into BDSM with a screaming kink. “No light. I don’t like light.”

“Okay,” Jongin says. This is the first time he hears about such a unique dislike. “Are you okay with light bulbs? Or are you a candle only guy?”

Sehun looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “I’m fine with light bulbs. I just can’t stand sunlight.”

Jongin’s eyes roam over Sehun’s smooth, milky skin. “You don’t like tanned skin?”

“Skin tone is not a problem,” Sehun says. “I’m allergic to the sun.” He pauses and gives Jongin a tentative glance. “It’s not weird, is it? I hope you don’t think that I’m a weirdo. It’s just — we’re roommates now and I want to be honest with you.”

“No, not weird at all,” Jongin says. “And I like anime.”

Sehun blinks, and then his eyes crinkle at the edges and the corner of his lips slides upwards. His laugh is tender and soft, like a spring breeze. “I can tell,” Sehun grins at him. “I bring my collection with me. You’re welcome to borrow them any time.”

“Or we can watch together.” Fuck. Wait. That’s actually smooth for a tongue slip.

“Yeah,” Sehun smiles again. “I’d love to.”

*

“So, how’s your new roommate?” Chanyeol asks around a mouthful of fried rice.

“He’s hot.” Sehun usually wears shorts at home, showing off his long legs and snuggly thighs. He has this unhealthy habit of laying on the sofa while using his laptop, with his face facing the balcony and his ass to the main door, making it the first thing Jongin sees when he comes home. “ _Sunburn_ hot. Except that he doesn’t like the sun. So he will never understand what it means if I tell him he’s giving me sunburn.”

Chanyeol blinks. “He doesn’t like the sun? He doesn’t like tanned skin?”

See, people should stop with these assumptions. It’s getting toxic, really, to automatically assume the worst. Humans are kind. Sehun is kind. He treated Jongin to a chicken dinner and they watched Prince of Tennis together. He also ordered bubble tea for both of them. “No, he’s just allergic.”

Kyungsoo puts down a piece of medium rare grilled steak. “He...what?”

“Allergic,” Jongin repeats. “To the sun.” Sehun hates the mirror in their shared bathroom as well. He says the wooden bear frame gives him a headache. But he doesn’t mind as long as Jongin allows him to cover the mirror with a white cloth when he uses the bathroom. That way Jongin doesn’t have to give up his favorite mirror. Sehun is so considerate. “To mirrors.”

“That’s very interesting,” Kyungsoo says. “Are you sure he’s not a vampire?”

“Vampire,” Chanyeol gasps. He looks more excited than terrified. “Can I meet him?”

“No,” Jongin says, at the same time Kyungsoo adds, “You aren’t even surprised at the possibility of your roommate being a vampire. Someone has a _crush_.”

Jongin blushes. “It’s because vampires don’t exist! Maybe he’s really allergic to the sun. With some mirror phobia.”

Kyungsoo levels him with an indecipherable look. “Jongin, I went to med school and to hell with it. There is no such thing as sun allergy. Except for vampirism.”

“You went to vet school, hyung.”

“I co-designed a seminar on nocturnal creatures,” Kyungsoo hums. “According to research, vampires may not be a total myth. They’re just exceptionally good at hiding their identities. They have heightened senses and sharper instincts. Excellent olfaction. They can smell from up to 18 miles away, so theoretically speaking, he can smell what you’re eating now.”

“Excellent olfaction,” Chanyeol seems to mull these words over. Then he turns to Kyungsoo. “Wait, remember that time you detected Seulgi’s perfume on my vest three days after the gala dinner? Does it mean you’re a vampire?”

“No,” Kyungsoo mutters. “You’re a cheater, that’s what it means.”

“We didn’t do anything!” Chanyeol looks upset at the mere fictional scenario of him being heterosexual. “But technically, even if we did _something_ ,” he grimaces, “it was to rile you up. You acted so indifferent that I thought I was the only gay in the household.”

“I was not indifferent. You were an idiot.”

“I was not.”

“You were.”

“Alright, kids,” Jongin stands up. “Lunch is over. Let’s get back to work. Chanyeol hyung, do you want a ride?”

“Thank you sweetheart, but I’ll be heading to YG. There’s a practice session later.” Chanyeol owns a studio, but he also produces songs for various artists from different entertainment agencies. “Let’s meet again for dinner next week? Bring your vampire roommate.”

“Not you too, hyung,” Jongin grumbles. Kyungsoo raises his hand for a check, and when Jongin digs through his jacket for his wallet, his phone vibrates. He swipes up; there are a few KakaoTalk messages from Sehun.

**_Sehun, 1:05 PM_ **

_i bought milk already so u don’t have to go to the supermarket after work_

_i’m making kimchi jigae tonight if u wanna come home and eat_

_planned to cook spaghetti but since u already ate it for lunch_

_nice choice btw_

_exylion cafe has the best spaghetti in town_

_try their crab spaghetti next time ^^_

“Why are you suddenly looking so pale?” Chanyeol asks.

“The vampirism is slowly taking effect,” Kyungsoo snorts.

Jongin chokes out a dry laugh. “Haha. Very funny.”

*

Google is no help when it comes to giving advice about co-living with vampires. So is Naver. The most common result tells Jongin to “ _move out_ ”, along with traditional, typical tips like wearing a cross, carrying a vial of holy water, or donning a necklace of strung garlic, which is an abomination for fashion. Ridiculous. Are these search engines not aware of how expensive it is to pay the rent for an apartment in metropolitan Seoul? Moving out is just another quick fix, a costly but unsustainable one. Jongin had, however, committed to a sustainable lifestyle since his first year in college, when he was randomly assigned to the same room with Junmyeon, who collected plastic bottles from all dump sites around campus and brought them back to their room, where he turned them into beautiful crafts and used them for his environmental campaigns.

Besides, it’s not like Sehun is a vampire. There’s no proof. Allergy is different for everyone. If Chanyeol can be allergic to cash (strangely, only to bills that are smaller than 50,000 won), then why can’t Sehun be allergic to mirror or sunlight?

Jongin is so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice the lights in the kitchen is off. He only becomes aware of his surroundings when he trips over something and falls on his butt. A hand grabs his wrist and holds it, long nails digging into his flesh and before Jongin can react, a pair of red eyes appears in front of him.

“Ahhh!” Jongin shrieks. The conversation with Kyungsoo and Chanyeol earlier flashes through his mind. “Vampire!”

The figure shifts away from him. “Stop shouting,” the figure says. “It’s me. Sehun.”

“Sehun?” It takes Jongin a moment to process. “Why are you,” he gestures to the blackness around them, “lurking around in the dark?”

Sehun shrugs. “Just not in the mood for light.”

“Okay,” Jongin says. He looks down at Sehun’s fingers curling loosely around his wrist. They’re nice fingers, long and slim, just a little bit too pale. “What about dinner?”

“Finished cooking an hour ago,” Sehun says. “Sent you a message but you didn’t respond so I figured out you were busy.”

Jongin was busy reading through 200 comments on a Reddit thread called “ _I suspected that my new housemate was a werewolf. Any tip on dealing with supernatural beings?_ ” He learned some helpful tips to take care of a werewolf on a full moon. And a story from an anonymous user about his encounter with a merman in his hometown. “A student wanted to talk about her exam grade,” Jongin lies. “Sorry for making you wait.”

“It’s alright,” Sehun says softly. “Would you like to eat now?”

“Sure,” Jongin agrees. There’s a shuffling sound of Sehun standing up, and then Jongin remembers something important. The red eyes. If he remembers correctly, Sehun’s eyes are deep brown. He knows because he’d spent an unhealthy amount of time looking into those eyes any time he could. He’s a sucker for pretty things, didn’t he mention this already? “Wait!”

But it’s too late. The lights come back, and when Jongin looks up, he sees familiar brown irises staring back at him. “Huh?”

“Nothing,” Jongin splutters. “Do you need any help?”

“Can you get me the white daisy bowls?” Sehun asks.

“Yeah,” Jongin walks towards the cabinet on the far left. The daisy bowls are considered part of the luxury utensils set that would only be used when Jongin has guests over on special occasions, but Sehun likes them and since Sehun already cooks, Jongin could at least indulge him this time. He opens the cabinet and looks at the middle shelf, only to feel his heart leap into his throat, fear catching him in its jaw.

“Sehun…” He whimpers at the crimson liquid bottle sitting next to his daisy bowls, a stark contrast to the porcelain material. “What is this?”

“Hmm, what is what?”

Jongin doesn’t dare to touch the bottle, afraid that the body that once contained all this blood would come to haunt him in his dreams. “The bottle! The blood!”

Sehun turns around, his brows knit together in confusion. “What blood?” He follows Jongin’s line of sight and makes a tiny _“ah”_ when he sees what Jongin is looking at. “It’s tomato sauce.”

“It’s too watery,” Jongin says. “It doesn’t look good.”

“It's a secret family recipe tomato sauce,” Sehun explains. “Must be stored in a dark, closed space for exactly twenty days to bring out the taste. So don’t touch it. It took me three months to acquire the sauce.”

It looks suspiciously bloody. Sehun is looking at him sternly, and though Jongin sees no canine fangs, he can’t help but imagine Sehun, with luscious hair strands draping over his forehead, wiping his blood-stained lips with the back of his hand. It’s scary but also hot. Everything about Sehun is _hot_. 

“Pass me the bowls,” Sehun says, startling Jongin out of his vampire-induced reverie. “Just ignore my sauce. There’s only a week left before it becomes edible.”

As the word _edible_ leaves his mouth, Sehun’s eyes flick between the bowls on the shelf and the bare skin of Jongin’s chest. Jongin quickly covers his chest with his hands.

Sehun smirks and sashays towards the kitchen counter. “Wash your hands. Dinner is ready.”

*

After dinner, Jongin excuses himself to his room, telling Sehun that he has exams to grade. Sehun responds with a nod, too engrossed in some sort of coding to say anything else. Sehun is a hundred times more beautiful when he’s focused, his glasses resting on the tip of his ethereally straight nose, slender fingers typing on keyboard. He’s wearing _the_ grey T-shirt again. Jongin learnt during their housewarming chicken dinner that the T-shirt was a gift from Sehun’s brother when he got into university. Sehun’s brother is not the type to show affection; they don’t talk often and when they do, their conversation never lasts longer than five minutes. So, the congratulatory gift from him means a lot to Sehun. While Jongin appreciated the sentimental background story, he kept thinking about how Sehun had bulked up since his university days. Must be nice to grow up so beautifully.

Anyway. The grey T-shirt is dangerous, because it showcases Sehun’s taut chest muscles and his nipples like Apple showing off the blueprint of their newest iPhone model every September. It leads to Inappropriate Sehun Thoughts. Which may be too soon, considering Sehun just moved in three weeks ago.

But giving up is not a term in Jongin’s dictionary. He switches from Google to Bing, and promptly clicks on the first result.

_r/relationships_

_Posted by_ [ _u/_](https://www.reddit.com/user/room8vamp/) _callmebaby_

 _5_ [ _years ago_ ](https://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/er5rxz/my_roommate_is_a_vampire_and_its_stressing_me_out/)

**_My roommate is a vampire and it's stressing me out_ **

_I live in a two-story house in the suburbs in Kansas with two other flat mates. We don't get much sunlight up here during the winter. Mark is a close friend from college, we have been flat mates for almost a decade. Recently he took on an additional role in his company that requires overnight shifts. He now only comes home two or three days a week, sometimes less, so we decided to have another roommate to share the rent._

_More about my new roommate, let's call him "Vlad." He just started renting last month. He contacted us via our Craigslist post, Mark was the one “interviewed” him. Mark likes him, saying Vlad is a cool guy, friendly, charming, good at cooking (which are all true). Vlad came here from Tennessee for job hunting. He works in the tech field. In his free time, he enjoys hunting (our place is just a 15-minute drive from the wild forest), cooking, and running. I think he’s a vampire, and here are the reasons why._

Jongin adds the post to his Bookmarks. When he comes out of his room an hour later to find something to drink, the lights are off again. Sehun has fallen asleep on the dining table, half of his face illuminated by the blue light from his laptop screen. Jongin leans over the table to move Sehun’s cup away so Sehun won’t knock it off by accident when he stirs to consciousness later. His arm brushes against Sehun’s forearm, and damn, Sehun’s skin is freezing? It feels like Sehun just emerges from the fridge.

Jongn tiptoes across the floor and opens the fridge. Everything is intact. That eliminates the possibility that Sehun may have leaped into the fridge and sat there for cool air the way Phoenix, Jongin’s sixteenth foster cat, often did. He grabs the AC remote control on the countertop. 25 degree Celsius. The normal setting, neither too hot nor too cold. He glances at the sky outside. His kumquat tree stands very still on the balcony, which means it’s not windy. What’s that phrase Sherlock Holmes always said?

_When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth._

So, the truth. According to _u/loeygotospace_ in the Reddit thread he bookmarked, vampires have no internal core warming the body, so their skin will feel cold in comparison to a normal person's skin. Because a vampire's body is essentially _dead_ , it no longer conducts heat the way a normal human body does. In addition, vampires have no heartbeat. _u/loeygotospace_ claimed that it was one of the fastest ways to check whether someone could be a vampire.

Jongin suppresses a shiver. He steps closer and closer until he’s an arm’s length away from Sehun. He inhales a lungful of breath, trying to memorize the taste of air on his tongue in case Sehun is indeed a vampire and bites him, therefore bestowing upon him an eternal soulless curse. Then, as careful as he could, he moves his hand towards his target — the left side of Sehun’s chest, under which a heart should be beating. _God, please give me strength_ , he quietly prays.

“Jongin?” That’s definitely Sehun’s voice. Tiny, but confused, and a hint of mild amusement. The last part may be Jongin’s imagination. “Why are you touching my nipple?”

“I—what?”

Sehun’s weary face gleams with clear amusement now. Jongin looks down and finds his palm covering Sehun’s areola. It’s a nice feeling. It feels fitting. That’s a fucking weird thing to say. Jongin must save himself before Sehun goes to tell their neighbor about how Jongin is a pervert, and words would spread around faster than a pandemic, and Jongin’s parents would disown him out of shame, his students would look down on him, he would get fired, and soon would die a lonely, humiliating death under a bridge. “I’m not touching your nipple! Why would I want to touch your nipple?”

It’s a very specific question. Jongin probably sets himself up, considering how Sehun looks less sleepy and more smug as seconds pass. “If you say so,” he drawls. “Then what’s the actual reason?”

“Uhm,” Jongin says. Why is lying so hard? “I, uhm, I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“By touching my nipple?”

Jongin goes beet red. “I said I didn’t touch your nipple! I—I only wanted to carry you to your room so you could sleep properly there!”

When Sehun goes quiet, Jongin calms down from his no-nipple-touching-intention panic and silently thanks Baekhyun for the idea. Baekhyun had carried him to his room and tucked him into bed so many times over the years. He misses Baekhyun, because Baekhyun could walk around naked and make his dick dance to hoe anthems (in fact, he already did) and Jongin wouldn’t feel a single thing, except secondhand embarrassment.

“That’s very kind of you,” Sehun smiles at him, and oh no, this is bad, because Sehun’s eyes crinkle when he smiles, his cheeks are fucking glowing like diamonds in the sunlight, but there’s no actual sunlight, just Sehun who challenges all the goddamn stars in the galaxy with his genuine, beautiful, beautiful smile. “I’m up for it.”

“You’re up for what?”

“You carry me to my room so I can sleep properly,” Sehun says. “Please kneel down.”

“What?” Jongin is at a loss for words.

Sehun blinks. “Piggyback? Or do you want to carry me bridal style?”

“I mean—” Jongin pauses to think. The easiest way out is to follow through with what he said. He’s exhausted now, he may as well just get this over with. “Alright,” he says. “Get on.”

Sehun makes a happy sound from the back of his throat, and immediately wraps his arms around Jongin’s neck. Jongin reaches behind to hold Sehun’s snuggly thighs, and wow, it’s another nice feeling. So many nice feelings tonight.

“Thank you, Jongin-ah,” Sehun whispers into Jongin’s hair. His breath is warm and too close. His chest is pressed against Jongin’s back, and this is undoubtedly the best opportunity to carry out the heartbeat check, but unfortunately, Jongin can’t hear clearly over the frantic sound of his own heartbeat.

When he returns to his room, he sits down and sends a private message to _u/loeygotospace_.

_Hello, do you know if a vampire’s touch can be harmful to a human’s health? My roommate, who is potentially a vampire, touched me and now my heart is beating so fast I’m afraid I may have a heart attack. Should I go get a health check-up? MRI scan?_

When there’s no reply from _u/loeygotospace_ , Jongin clicks on their profile and is disappointed to find out the user was last active two years ago. He copies the message, then after thoughtful consideration, decides to delete the parts about Sehun being a vampire and sends the rest to Kyungsoo. He receives a reply half an hour later.

**_Kyungsoo, 12:45 AM_ **

_First, use a BP monitor. Make sure to turn the device on._

_Secondly, if you want a professional’s opinion, there is nothing wrong with you._

_Thirdly, fuck off. It’s past midnight, and I have work at 7 tomorrow._

Jongin’s blood pressure is 101/72, within the normal range. He sends a picture of the monitor screen to Kyungsoo, and this time, he is blocked.

*

“You have to come back, hyung,” Jongin pleads. “My life is in danger.”

He hears Baekhyun sigh. “Let me guess. You dropped your latte again?”

“No!” Jongin huffs indignantly. That is a one-time thing. Maybe for every three days. Whatever. “My latte is fine. But not my safety.” He whines. “I’m going to die, and before you ask, no, this is not a figurative way of speaking.”

“...Okay,” Baekhyun says. “What’s wrong?”

Jongin lowers his voice. “I think Sehun is a vampire.”

There’s a deliberate silence, and when the other line speaks again, it’s not Baekhyun’s Seoul accent. “Hi, Jonginnie,” Yixing says cheerfully. “Baekhyunnie just went to take a shower. Said he had a lot of things to do that didn’t involve some supernatural bullshit. What show are you watching? Is it that bad?”

Brotherhood is fleeting. Baekhyun just ignores Jongin, who is in fatal danger, to go take a fucking shower. Jongin hiccups. At least Yixing is here to listen. “Hyung, do you know my new roommate?”

“Sehunnie? Yeah, I know him. He’s cute.” Yixing coos. “I haven’t seen him for a while. How is he doing?”

“Good,” Jongin says. “Can you please tell me where Baekhyun hyung found him? Like, maybe the name of the coven?”

“The what?”

“Coven,” Jongin patiently spells the word out in Korean, Mandarin and English. “I think he’s a vampire.”

Yixing laughs. “You’re so funny.”

“Yeah, that’s one of my charms,” Jongin says. “Wait. No. Not this. I’m serious. He’s a nice guy.” Nice face, nice butt, nice personality. “But I don’t know if I’m ready for an eternal life? I don’t want to pay taxes for eternity?”

“Sehun is not a vampire,” Yixing assures him. “He can be quiet and reserved, but he’s a good kid. Remember Jongdae?” Jongdae is the owner of an infamous Italian restaurant in Gangnam and Baekhyun’s friend from college. Yixing and Baekhyun met through him. Jongin had seen the guy a few times when Baekhyun took him to the restaurant. Jongdae is a happy, handsome guy with a kittenish smile. “He and Sehun’s brother are childhood friends. If Sehun were really a vampire, Jongdae should’ve known.”

“Maybe he is not a pureblood vampire. Maybe he was sired when he already left home for college.” Jongin says. “Either way, I’m in danger. Please let me move into your basement.”

“Jongin, you’re too precious to live in a basement.”

“I don’t care!” Jongin wails. “I just don’t want to succumb to capitalism for a thousand years and more.”

“Have you talked to Sehun?”

“About me finding his supernatural identity? Of course not! I don’t have a death wish.”

“Technically speaking, if you became a vampire, you couldn’t die—”

“Jongin,” Baekhyun’s voice cuts in. “Sehun is not a vampire. Vampires don’t exist. Please don’t give Yixing more weird ideas. He already has more than enough in his head. He was once convinced that his HR manager was a werewolf.”

“It was his fault for always disappearing during the full moon!” Yixing squeaks. “And the shedding. I thought the mysterious hair on the toilet seat was his. Who knew he was secretly fostering a cat the whole time?”

“See? This is why you should be more careful with your assumption. Do some research.” Baekhyun is talking to Yixing, but Jongin feels like the words are directed at him. “Bye, Jonginnie, we have to go. Why don’t you come over this Saturday? Yixing will be making pork dumplings and noodles.”

“Count me in,” Jongin says. “But in case I die from the bite before that—”

“Take care, Jongin,” Baekhyun says and hangs up the phone.

*

With no one to back up his theory, Jongin is back at his one-man show. But it’s okay, because he has the Reddit thread.

_I think he’s a vampire, and here are the reasons why._

_I've never once seen him go out into sunlight, or at least without bundling up 10 layers. He wakes up at sunrise and sleeps when the sun is up. Or when he wakes up earlier than that, he doesn’t go out until the sky gets dark. I mean this literally: I keep a log, and he’s usually up at around 5 pm and going to sleep at 6 am, but he wakes up as early as 3 pm in December._

“Hi,” Sehun waves at Jongin from where he’s nestled under a blanket on the couch. “Where are you going?”

“Morning run,” Jongin replies. “Wanna join? There’s a new coffee shop on the route, so I can take you there and buy you a cup of real cappuccino and then you will realize the instant mix you’re addicted to is a scam.”

Sehun pouts. “Don’t be so mean. They’re convenient. Anyway, I’ll pass. Bedtime for me.” 

Jongin glances at his watch. “It’s 7 in the morning.”

“Yeah?”

Jongin gulps. “Don’t you have to go to work or something?”

Sehun looks surprised. “I thought you knew? I only have to come into office three days a week in the afternoon.” Jongin does notice that Sehun spends most of the time at home, in front of his huge desktop screen in his room. There are always codes Jongin doesn’t understand every time he sneaks a glance at the screen. Sehun doesn’t talk much about his job; but Baekhyun tells Jongin that Sehun’s boss is very chill. The man invests in a bunch of different fields, and his only requirement for his employees is that they get their tasks done in a timely manner. Where and how they do it is not of his concern. “I don’t really like my office. I feel trapped.”

“It’s not because your cubicle is facing the window, is it?”

Sehun’s eyes widen. “How did you know? I get so much sunlight I think I’m going to _die_.”

“You can’t really die.”

“Oh,” Sehun says. He tries to shake the drowsiness out of his eyes and fails miserably. “Why?”

Why does Jongin always put himself in difficult situations? “Uhm. You don’t seem like someone who could die easily.” Jongin makes a vague gesture at Sehun’s broad shoulders. “You look...strong.”

“I swim,” Sehun says, as if it means anything. It does. It means Jongin now finds Sehun even hotter. Fuck.

“Swimming. Nice.” Jongin swallows. “I’ll...run. Do you want anything for breakfast? Later, when you wake up?”

Sehun stares. “A sandwich, please.”

After keeping logs for a week, Jongin sees the pattern: Sehun never goes out before 5 PM. If he eats, he either microwaves the leftover from the previous night or calls for delivery. On Thursday, they ran out of dish soap but Jongin had to cover two extra classes for Soojung, who went down with an unexpected cold, so he texted Sehun and asked him to buy the soap. Jongin came home at 4 PM to find Sehun, already in his work attire, eating ramen in a _mug_. The dirty dishes remained untouched.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun murmured, a tiny pout settled across his face, skin glowing despite the lack of natural sunlight. “It’s too bright outside today.”

“It’s okay, I can run to the store later,” Jongin said. “Is the allergy that severe?”

Sehun put down the mug. The spicy kimchi broth was so red, the kind of red that could be spotted from Mars and reminded Jongin of blood. He would never drink latte in that mug again. Sehun fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “It is _that_ severe,” he whispered, not meeting Jongin’s eyes. “I’m such a weirdo, aren’t I?”

Sehun sounded sad, his usual cheerful voice went lower and tinier, and he was biting his lower lip. Jongin’s heart dropped, and god forbid it, Sehun could be a vampire but he was also that adorable, precious roommate with a crescent moon eye smile who made Jongin feel things. At that moment, Jongin couldn’t bear the sight of Sehun being sad. He walked closer and placed his hand under Sehun’s chin and made the latter look at him in the eye. “Hey, you’re not weird,” Jongin said. “If anyone told you so, let me know and I’d beat them up for you, okay?”

Sehun blinked at him, and his cheeks went pink, the flush visible on his pale skin. He extended his arms without saying a word, Jongin shifted closer without knowing why, and then he was pulled into a soft hug. Sehun leaned his head against Jongin’s shoulder and sighed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jongin reciprocated the hug. Sehun smelled really good, like baby milk powder and a subtle hint of jasmine.

*

“So Sehun is nocturnal, can’t tolerate sunlight, hates having his photos taken, only wears black, has pale skin, cold body temperature, and owns suspicious red liquid bottles,” Chanyeol reads off all the details from Jongin’s logs. “Hey, not to offend anyone but this sounded like Kyungsoo when he went through his emo phase.”

“Kyungsoo’s father is a hunter and a taxidermy expert. He’s seen worse in his childhood home. His emo phase is the least severe manifestation.” Jongin frowns. There’s a thoughtful silence from Chanyeol’s side, like he’s imagining Kyungsoo stuffing dead animals in a secret room behind the wall of their bedroom. “Okay, so have you talked to him?”

“I can’t just talk to him about vampires, hyung!” What is the etiquette? A conversation over hot boiled blood? Does the blood have to come from virgins to show a token of appreciation? Jongin is not trained for this. “What if I offend him? What if he is against disclosing?”

Chanyeol’s eyes light up with excitement. Jongin tilts his head. “What?”

“You don’t even care that he can actually be a vampire,” Chanyeol says. “You just don’t want to offend him.”

“I do care!” Jongin argues, because hello, what kind of human doesn’t freak out about living with a _vampire_? Sehun should’ve come with a manual. But then Sehun is just so kind and gorgeous and incredible. He pays his rent on time, keeps the apartment tidy, cooks for Jongin occasionally and waits for Jongin to come home so they can drink tea (Sehun’s hibiscus tea is strangely crimson, but it doesn’t have any weird smell, so whatever) and talk about any topic, be it Jongin’s day or Sehun’s demanding client or a piece of juicy gossip trending on Naver. Sehun has a witty sense of humor, he’s sarcastic in a cute and intellectual way and his jokes are really refreshing. “Just. He’s a cool roommate. You know how difficult it is to find a compatible roommate, right?” Chanyeol probably doesn’t know. He has had only one roommate since he left home and it’s Kyungsoo, his childhood friend who later became his boyfriend.

“Oh, so Nini got a case of serious crushhhh.”

Jongin protests. “What? No! There’s no way, right?”

“There’s way,” Chanyeol says. “It’s time. You’ve been living as a celibate for almost three years now. And you’re in your mid-20s.”

“I have those little animals to keep me occupied.”

“You just foster them. It’s very kind of you, but it pains me to see you cry like a baby every time you send your foster kids to their new home. You need someone to hold your hands through these tearful farewells. Someone to take care of you.”

“He’s my roommate,” Jongin sulks. “And in case you forget, he may be a vampire.”

“Blood play can be hot, you know,” Chanyeol says. “As long as it’s not your blood.”

Jongin doesn’t want to think about Sehun bringing someone else’s blood to their bed, or Sehun tasting someone else’s blood on his tongue when Jongin’s mouth is open — no, he should stop thinking. “We’ve only known each other for two months, hyung. You know I’m the slow burn type.”

Chanyeol’s gaze softens. He takes Jongin’s hand in his own and Jongin feels slightly concerned because that’s the hand holding his chicken burger. Last time Chanyeol asked for a bite and ended up chewing half of Jongin’s burger. But this seems like a touching movement. “You don’t need to rush anything. Start with baby steps. Let’s see, hmm. You said he could be a vampire, right? But a relationship can only work if you are able to accept your partner for who he is. Vampire, werewolf, shapeshifter, you should be comfortable with whatever he is. Start from that. Ask yourself if you are willing to deal with all this bloodsucking business before deciding to take one step further.”

Chanyeol knows Jongin so well. “Thank you, hyung. I’ll do that. Thinking too much about what hasn’t happened yet and may not happen at all only gives me a headache.”

“Good boy,” Chanyeol coos, and cranes his head down to take a bite of Jongin’s chicken burger. A bite means half of the burger.

*

Living with a vampire shouldn’t be too much different from living with a human, Jongin concludes after a week of reading through every search result he could find on Google, if they can establish boundaries and agree that Jongin’s blood is off-limits. In reality, Sehun mostly tends to himself, he has his own car, he cooks, he keeps his room clean and fresh with no suspicious smell (like the smell of a corpse), so Jongin thinks even if Sehun sneaks out at night to go drink from someone’s neck, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

From Jongin’s side, maybe he needs to get used to the sight of blood. He learns from Reddit (thank you, _u/loeygotospace_ ) that not all vampires feed directly from humans. They drink blood bags — either from humans or animals — so they often have a freezer to store blood. Jongin suspects Sehun would buy one soon, because he found a catalogue on their couch a few days ago and there was a bookmark on the page about fridges. It would be no problem if Jongin wasn’t terrified of blood.

“Jongin?” Sehun calls, surprised to find the apartment eerily quiet at 8 PM. Usually, Jongin would be at the coffee table grading the kids’ assignments while humming to his Spotify playlist. “Jongin? Are you home? I have fried chicken. From your favorite restaurant.”

There’s no answer, but the light in Jongin’s bedroom is on. Before Sehun can knock, he hears a whimper. He sticks his head into the room and finds Jongin wrapping himself in a blanket like a human burrito, face pale and hands trembling.

Sehun gets worried instantly. “Jongin, are you okay?”

Jongin’s head snaps up and when he recognizes Sehun, he blinks at him with glassy eyes. What the heck? Is Jongin crying? “Jongin, what happened? Are you hurt? Should I call someone? Kyungsoo?”

Jongin throws a pillow at him. “It’s all your fault!”

Sehun is utterly confused. “My fault for...what? I literally just got home.”

Jongin pouts. Curious, Sehun walks over to Jongin’s bed and looks at Jongin’s laptop screen. A video of a butcher cutting a chicken’s neck is playing. All he sees is red. “Why are you watching this bloody stuff? Did you lose a bet to Chanyeol hyung?”

“Chanyeol hyung would never be that cruel to me!” Jongin cries. “It’s your fault. Blood is disgusting.”

Sehun frowns. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Did you eat?”

“I’m not really hungry,” Jongin murmurs. He doesn’t think he can chew on something now without thinking about how much blood had been lost in the process.

Sehun stares at him, then sighs. “Sometimes you’re so weird.” Jongin wants to protest, maybe make a statement about how he’s not the supernatural being in this household, and while he may have questionable choices of drinks (Baekhyun’s horrible cocktail mix, because Baekhyun couldn’t _drink_ ), he doesn’t drink blood. But that would be childish, since Sehun is just looking out for him.

“Where are you going?” Jongin asks when Sehun turns around and heads towards the door.

“I’m going to put the chicken in a container so we could eat it tomorrow,” Sehun says. “Then I will make you a protein shake since you’re not in the mood to eat tonight. After that we can watch a movie so you can forget this bloody mess you’re getting yourself into.”

The last part of his sentence sounds ambiguous, for Jongin isn’t sure which bloody mess Sehun is referring to, but Sehun is taking care of him, and although Sehun doesn’t know, Jongin only has one criteria for choosing a boyfriend — someone who can take care of him.

Jongin watches Sehun retreat to the kitchen and wonders how he would look in typical Victorian era vampire clothes, with a silk black cape trailing behind him. The specific image he has in his head makes him feel warm all over his body. Not good.

Sehun comes back half an hour later with a mug of banana chocolate shake, a cup of his unique red hibiscus tea, and a bag of potato chips. He hands Jongin the mug, then slides next to Jongin and starts browsing through Jongin’s Netflix account.

They end up watching The Amazing Spider-Man again (they watched it last week during their movie night with Chanyeol and Kyungsoo). Sehun’s hair smells heavenly, and by the time Peter suspects Connors is the Lizard, Jongin has all forgotten about the bloody mess earlier. Their legs brush under the blanket. Sehun’s skin is cold, but Jongin feels hot. Especially in his cheeks.

*

Google search history:

_What are some alternatives to blood for vampires and where do I buy them?_

_Is there any good diet plan for vampires?_

_Do vampire hunters exist?_

_Vampire hunter association in South Korea_

_What are some traits of vampires not commonly known?_

_Do fangs hurt?_

*

Jongin wakes up from his lunch nap to a message from Sehun.

**_Sehun, 12:03 PM_ **

_Can you come home?_

It’s strange, because Sehun doesn’t use any emoji and he capslocks the first letter. Jongin calls three times, but Sehun doesn’t pick up. He fights a rising panic, and when the fourth call still doesn’t get through, he asks Soojung to cover his 2 PM class.

“There’s this kid, Hannie, he never does his homework, so—”

“I know how to handle kids like him,” Soojung says, and winks. “Go home to your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jongin blushes. Soojung laughs and pats his back. “He’ll be soon, right? You clearly like him. You’ve been talking about him nonstop.” She clears her throat and mimics his voice. “ _Sehun makes kimchi spaghetti today. Sehun likes this show. I and Sehun played FIFA last night. I took Sehun to this coffee shop and he loved their green tea latte. Sehun bought me a pair of Marvel socks yesterday._ ”

Did he really talk about Sehun like that? “Please stop.”

“You’re so smitten,” Soojung smiles, not unkindly. “Now go get him, atta boy.”

When Jongin arrives at their apartment, as usual, there’s no light on and the entire place is covered in darkness. It takes Jongin a few seconds to realize how familiar he is with the dark now; he can locate each item without seeing it, and he doesn’t feel uncomfortable like he used to. This sounds like a new life skill acquired. Well done, Jongin.

Sehun is not on the couch. Jongin walks towards Sehun’s bedroom. The door is open, and Jongin’s heart sinks when he finds Sehun curled up tight in the middle of his mattress. When he stirs to look up, his face looks flushed and pale, hair damp with sweat.

“Jongin?” He whimpers, and the broken sound makes Jongin immediately drop his backpack and move closer to Sehun. “Hey,” he says softly, reaching out to touch Sehun’s forehead. Wet, but not feverish. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel sick,” Sehun croaks out. Jongin tries to pull Sehun into his lap, but Sehun resists, so Jongin tentatively lays down next to him. “What hurts?”

Sehun shifts so he can bury his face into Jongin’s chest, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. “My stomach,” he sniffles. “My head and my back too, but my stomach hurts so much. It’s been like this since the morning.”

“I’m here,” Jongin says, running a hand down Sehun’s back soothingly. Sehun groans. “It hurts. I think I’m going to vomit but I can’t get anything out.”

They’ve never been this physically close before. They moderately cuddle during movie nights, and those accidental touches when they cook or wash the dishes, but nothing more than that. Now they’re so close Jongin could hear Sehun’s frantic breath.

He pushes Sehun’s damp hair back from his face. Sehun looks at him, but closes his eyes when a new wave of pain grips him. He chokes out a sob, and Jongin immediately pulls him into his arms. “Hey, I’m here now,” he murmurs into Sehun’s hair, “you’re going to be okay.”

“It hurts. Make it stop.”

Jongin lets his hand rest on top of Sehun’s. “Can I?”

A moment passes by, then Sehun nods, pressing his face against Jongin’s shoulder, inhaling and exhaling shakily. Jongin slips his hand under Sehun’s T-shirt and feels Sehun’s stomach churn and gurgle angrily under his touch. He slides his fingers along the rumbling sides of Sehun’s stomach, feeling how tense his stomach muscles are, and starts rubbing at the bottom of his stomach in small circles. “Jongin,” Sehun whimpers, “it hurts so much.”

Sehun feels rumbling and bloated under his hand, so Jongin continues his way clockwise and upwards. “Is it food poisoning? Did you eat something strange?”

“I don’t know,” Sehun says miserably, and suddenly stops, one of his hands comes up to cover his mouth. Trembling, he jerks his head towards the bathroom. Jongin helps him out of the bed and to the bathroom, where he kneels in front of the toilet seat, but nothing happens. Sehun wipes his mouth, then looks at Jongin with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry. I just want this to be over.”

He looks so small Jongin just wants to cage him in his arms and protect him. He positions himself behind Sehun, stroking wet hair back from his forehead. Sehun falls back into Jongin. “If it’s food poisoning, you just need to let it all out,” Jongin says, placing his hand back on Sehun’s churning stomach. “Let me.”

By the third attempt and nothing comes out, Sehun writhes in pain and there are enough tears gathered in his eyes that he begins to cry softly. “Jongin,” he sobs. “Jongin.”

“Almost there, almost there, baby.” The pet name kind of comes out automatically, and Sehun turns around, a thick saliva string hanging from his jaw and his eyes are glassy. “What did you just call me?”

“Baby,” Jongin repeats. It feels fitting for the moment. “Really, this is your top concern now?”

Sehun grimaces when Jongin rubs his stomach up and down in a firm circle on each side. “It sounds nice,” he chuckles weakly, trying to catch his breath. “You’re so nice.”

“I’ve been told,” Jongin says as Sehun doubles over with pain. Color drains from his face, and his body is shivering. “Hey, Sehun, let me go call Kyungsoo, okay? Maybe some ginger ale could help.”

“No, please. Please don’t go.” Sehun digs his nails into Jongin’s wrist. He grabs Jongin’s hand and guides it back to his stomach. “Please stay with me.”

Sick Sehun is adorably needy, and if Jongin isn’t worrying sick, he would be cooing at him the way he does with his elementary class. Sick Sehun is such a baby. Jongin pets his hair. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? Even if you drink blood.”

“What?” Sehun asks. But then Jongin strokes his stomach with the flat of his palm, feeling bubbles rippling up through Sehun and Sehun coughs, then gags.

“I’m going to be sick,” Sehun says with tears staining his cheeks. He shifts forward, bending over the toilet seat. Jongin continues to rub his stomach when the first wave of vomit forces itself through Sehun’s mouth. Then another wave. And another.

Jongin stays with him through it, rubbing his back and his stomach at the same time, whispering _“You’re okay”_ and _“You’re doing good, baby”_ into his ear, though he doubts Sehun hears any of it. The point is, surrounded by the gagging sounds and Sehun’s pitiful whimpers, Jongin still thinks Sehun is beautiful.

“Fuck,” Sehun says when he’s done throwing up everything he could. He shakily flushes the toilet, and sinks back into Jongin’s arms. “Fuck,” he says again, face wet with tears and sick saliva and his hands are still shaking. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“A little bit. My stomach doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

“Good,” Jongin says. “Let’s wash your face and get back to bed, okay? Then I’ll go grab some medicine.” He tucks a strand of Sehun’s hair behind his ear for him. “Damn, that was rough. Whatever you ate, please never try it again.”

“I think it’s not any food in particular. Maybe Mexican food and coconut water don’t go well together.”

Jongin freezes. “Coconut water?”

“Yeah,” Sehun continues. His voice is stable now. “The coconut water you bought? I had a taco, and then I drank one bottle. Should’ve just gone with a can of Coke.”

So Jongin may have read that coconut water can be used as blood transfusion in emergency situations. Following this logic, vampires could drink coconut water instead of blood, right? Like a vegan diet. Excited by his newfound knowledge, Jongin’d bought the entire row of coconut water at the supermarket and stocked them in their fridge.

“Oh god,” Jongin says, horrified. “I’m sorry. I should’ve bought tea and soda too.”

“It’s alright,” Sehun laughs weakly. “I’m not incapacitated. I could buy my own drinks. It’s just,” his voice gets smaller, as if he doesn’t want Jongin to hear, but at the same time he also wants Jongin to hear, “you like coconut water and you want to share it with me. So I was like, why not? It’s on me.”

Jongin thinks he’s catching the flu now, because he feels feverish. Sehun is too kind and he doesn’t deserve Sehun. Even if Sehun is a vampire, he’d be that vampire activist who campaigns for a no-human-blood diet and promotes peace between two species.

“I really don’t deserve you,” he says it out loud.

“Oh, you do,” Sehun says. “Now carry me to bed and cuddle me.”

Jongin makes Sehun drink some ginger ale, takes his temperature (he doesn’t have a fever, thanks god), and insists on taking Sehun to a doctor, but Sehun assures him that he feels much better already.

“But you can’t leave,” Sehun clings to him as if he’s a teddy bear. Which he is, because he likes bears and loves hugs, just not in a literal way.

“I won’t,” Jongin says. He pulls Sehun closer, and Sehun’s breath on his neck is content. “Can you rub my back for me?”

“Of course.”

**_To: Kyungsoo, 2:15 PM_ **

_hyung help!!!_

_is a vampire’s touch poisonous?_

_i’m burning will holy water help???_

**_To: Kyungsoo, 2:20 PM_ **

_answer me hyung!!!_

_can coconut water replace holy water??? i have so many bottles i need to get rid of_

**_To: Kyungsoo, 2:21 PM_ **

You can’t send any message to this number. Please try again.

**_To: Chanyeol, 2:22 PM_ **

_kyungsoo blocked me again!!! :( :( :(_

**_From: Chanyeol, 2:23 PM_ **

_don’t worry jonginnie_

_he blocks me several times a day too :3_

*

Jongin pinches his own cheek to make sure he’s not dreaming. “You want me to...what?”

“Foster,” Kyungsoo shrugs noncommittally. “Isn’t that what you do?”

Historically speaking, yes. Nevertheless, he hasn’t fostered any animal since Sehun moved in. No stray animal shows up on his route to work anymore; Jongin thinks it’s because they smell Sehun’s vampire scent on him, which scares them away. Sehun sometimes looks at Jongin’s framed pictures on the bookshelf and wonders when Jongin would bring home a pup. By pup, Sehun clearly means puppy, and not a bat pup like the one Kyungsoo is showing him at the moment.

“But this is a bat,” Jongin says. “How can I foster a bat?”

“It’s easy, I write down everything you need to know,” Kyungsoo shows him a few A5 papers. “I’d have kept her with me, but it’s the flu season. I have ten cats staying at my clinic right now for long treatment plans and it’s a risk to have a bat over. Bacteria from a cat’s claw is fatal to bats.”

The bat pup perks her tiny head up from under the pink cloth Kyungsoo gives her. She stares at Jongin with dark eyes, and Jongin melts.

“What if I get rabies?” Jongin asks in a futile attempt to stay strong.

“Less than 0.5% of bats actually contract rabies,” Kyungsoo hushes. “So take her home. The two Golden Retriever pups will be discharged in a week, then I’ll take her back here.”

*

“What is this?”

Jongin looks up from the small plastic box he’s been spending the last two hours looking at. “It’s a bat pup. Kyungsoo asks me to foster her for a week. His clinic is overloaded and the only room available has ten cats in it.”

“Oh, okay,” Sehun shrugs out of his jacket and Jongin may have let his gaze linger on his broad chest too long. “How old is she?”

The bat stares up at Sehun. Sehun smiles at her. “She is fully furred, so probably a juvenile.” He turns to Jongin and grins. “Cool, so we don’t have to take turns putting her home on top of a hot water bottle all night.”

Jongin blinks. “You know about bat care?”

“A little bit,” Sehun says. “What should we name her?”

“You want to name her?”

“Come on, Jongin,” Sehun sighs, exasperated. “We can’t just call her by _hey_.”

That’s exactly how Jongin called everyone in his high school class, but Sehun looks excited. Jongin surrenders. “Fine, you name her. Ask her what name she likes, since you two can understand each other.”

Sehun looks confused. “How can I understand her?”

If Jongin has already taken a manifestation of Sehun’s species into his very own place, he might as well lay down all the cards. “Vampires turn into bats, no?”

“That only happens in Hotel Transylvania,” Sehun scoffs, then pauses. His eyes widen comically. “Wait. Hold on. You think I’m a vampire?” He points at his chest. Nice chest, by the way. 100/10 would make a good pillow. Jongin would love to try one day. “Me? A _vampire_?”

Jongin nods shyly. Silence engulfs them. Even the bat, who has yet to be named, tries her best to stay awake and looks between them curiously. Sehun’s eyes are on Jongin, and then he bursts out laughing. He laughs so hard he has to grip onto the armrest to ground himself, tears coming down his cheeks and his entire face filled with amusement.

“I can’t believe you really think I’m a fucking vampire,” Sehun snorts, wiping the tears away with the back of his palm. “Is this why you never hold my gaze? Were you afraid that I’d hypnotize you?”

That’s the minor part of the reason. The major part is, if Jongin looks into Sehun’s eyes long enough, he’d probably cream his pants right on the spot. Sehun needs not to know about this embarrassing crush. “Yeah? Maybe?”

Sehun inches closer to ruffle Jongin’s hair. “You’re such an idiot,” he says. “I’m not a vampire. I just have a severe allergy to sunlight. I was diagnosed when I was a little kid. I forgot what it’s called. But that’s it, I don’t drink blood and I’m not going to bite you.”

“Not ever?” Jongin asks.

Sehun seems to contemplate for a moment. His gaze drops to Jongin’s neck. “Not in the neck.”

The implication of his answer is so vast that Jongin finds his cheeks in flame again. “Uhm, that’s good to know,” he laughs nervously. “So...do you bite in general? I mean other….things?”

“Like what?”

“Nevermind,” Jongin says, pushing the box and the bat pup into Sehun’s arms. “I have to walk my cactus. See you!”

**_Kyungsoo, 6:48 PM_ **

_Did you really say you had to walk your cactus?_

**_To: Kyungsoo, 6:49 PM_ **

_i was panicked!!!!!! he kept staring at my neck!!!_

_and he has this look in his eyes i couldn’t decode_

_he names the bat pup btw_

_feels like we’re a family_

**_Kyungsoo, 6:50 PM_ **

_What’s her name?_

**_To: Kyungsoo, 6:50 PM_ **

_Dog!!!!_

_he names the bat Dog_

_isn’t it cute_

**_To: Kyungsoo, 6:55 PM_ **

hyung?

Your message cannot be sent. Please try again later.


	2. Chapter 2

Dog is a nice addition to their daily life. The tear in her wings is healing fast, but she’s not a passionate flier. She spends most of her time sleeping in her box, munching on mealworms and drinking Bat World Sanctuary Milk Replacement formula. Sehun swears on his grandfather’s grave that the recipe from Bat World Sanctuary is the only safe alternative available on the bat food market. It’s more expensive than other milk formulas, but Sehun is the one paying, so Jongin lets it slide.

Dog is a night girl. Which is understandable, because she’s a bat. She becomes torpid during the day, with slower breathing and lower body temperature. The morning after she arrived, Jongin came to check on her and found her lying motionless in her box, completely cold to the touch. He freaked out and almost placed her under his lamp to warm her up if Sehun hadn’t woken up on time.

“Please never force Dog to warm,” Sehun cradles her in the crook of his arms. It takes ten minutes for her to wiggle her ears, a sign that she’s alive and well. “Don’t wake her up in the morning either. She’ll shiver for at least fifteen minutes. And very sluggish.”

Jongin stares. “Just like you?”

“We’re nocturnal,” Sehun says after a while. He yawns. “But I’m certainly not a vampire.”

“Alright,” Jongin says, totally unconvinced.

Dog is like an animal version of Sehun. She becomes a little ball of chaotic energy in the evening. Sehun settles her box on a chair at their dining table so she could enjoy dinner with them. She is an observer, often staring at their dishes intently. Sehun tells Jongin she’s learning.

“Should we play some classical music?” Jongin wonders. “Will it help with her brain development?”

“Good idea,” Sehun agrees. “Maybe we should make a playlist?”

On her third day with them, Dog has a Mozart playlist under her name. She is a good kid, always listens with utmost attention when Jongin teaches her simple words or when Sehun tells her to never fly out of the window unprepared since it’s dangerous. She likes watching the evening news. And Sehun.

“I think she likes you,” Kyungsoo says one day when he comes over to check on Dog. Dog is sitting on Sehun’s shoulder, watching Chanyeol play the guitar with curiosity. She’s always by Sehun’s side, and with Sehun having a similar nocturnal schedule, they just stick together. When Sehun has to work, Dog stays quietly next to him, waiting for Sehun to take a break and scratch her ears. Sometimes, Dog falls asleep on top of Sehun, and that’s the first scene Jongin sees in the morning. He feels blessed.

“Because they’re the same species,” Jongin huffs.

“Why does he keep saying that I’m a vampire?” Sehun puts a hand over his chest. “He doesn’t even want to take a mirror selfie with me, since he’s afraid I wouldn’t show up in the reflection.”

“Maybe you should bite him,” Kyungsoo advises. “If he realizes your bite doesn’t have any effect, he’ll let go of that theory.”

“I’m still here?” Jongin says.

Sehun brings Dog into his arms and starts rocking back and forth. “Where should I bite him?”

“Anywhere you like,” Kyungsoo replies.

Sehun pauses, and then giggles. “Cool.”

*

“Where do you want to bite me?”

Sehun abruptly sits back up from where he’s tying his shoes and smacks his head into the dining table. “What the fuck was that?”

“Uhm,” Jongin scratches at his neck sheepishly. He’s wearing a tank top today, one that exposes enough skin for Sehun to sink his teeth in and finally clear up all misunderstandings. “Neck?”

When Sehun doesn’t respond, Jongin tilts his head to the side for a demonstration. He’s sure at this angle Sehun can see more than his neck, because this tank top is thin and low cut, Sehun probably has a good view of Jongin’s collarbones and his nipples too. 

Sehun closes his eyes in an attempt to reach zen. When he opens them again, surprisingly, his eyes are not red, but the rest of his face is. “I’m not into cannibalism!” Sehun hisses. “Just. Stop talking.”

Jongin blinks, confused. “But I didn’t say anything?” A droplet of water drips from the corner of his lip down to the column of his neck. Sehun blushes even harder. “Shut up!”

From the kitchen island, Dog purrs.

Sehun ignores Jongin during dinner, but when they’re done cleaning the dishes and it’s time for their weekly movie night, he makes popcorn and brings his favorite blanket to the couch so they can huddle under it. They settle for a comedy action movie, with Dog between them. An hour into the movie, Jongin looks to the side to find Sehun yawn, absentmindedly stroking Dog’s fur. Their apartment is in complete darkness, with the only light source from the TV screen, but Jongin feels so much at peace.

“Here, let me,” Jongin carefully gathers Dog into his arms so Sehun can shift closer and rest his head on Jongin’s shoulder. His shoulder is one of Sehun’s favorite places — he figured that out after their third movie night. It’s understandable, those 48 centimeters are one of his charms. “Do you want to finish the movie or do you want to go to bed?”

“It’s okay, I’m not sleepy yet,” Sehun mumbles. His hair brushes against Jongin’s jaw, and Jongin reaches out to run a hand through the soft locks before he could stop himself.

Sehun doesn’t seem to mind. He hums. “This is so nice.”

“Mmmh,” Jongin agrees. He could live like this until the end of time and it’s not even an exaggeration. In moments like these, with Sehun snuggling up to him, Sehun’s cold skin is the least of his concern. Sehun could be the ruler of Hell, and Jongin still wouldn’t trade their movie nights for the world.

“Shit,” he whispers to himself. “I’ve passed the slow burn phase and arrived at the _burn_.”

“What are you burning?” Sehun asks, words slurred and eyes closed.

“My sanity,” Jongin says.

“Okay,” Sehun says, pressing his nose closer to Jongin’s neck and Jongin is glad he used Jo Malone perfume shower gel earlier instead of the normal soap.

*

“I think I’m cool with it.”

“Good for you,” Sehun replies automatically. Then, when he finishes feeding Dog her daily milk intake, he turns around to face Jongin. “Sorry, you’re cool with what?”

“Your bloodsucking business,” Jongin proudly hands him a Subway bag.

“I don’t suck blood,” Sehun sighs. He grabs a piece of bread from the bag and bites. “Hey, why does this taste so weird? Did you order it right?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I asked for a non-garlic option.”

Sehun’s frown deepens. “But this is garlic bread?”

“You can’t eat garlic, Sehunnie.” They’re at the pet name stage now. Sehun rarely calls him Jonginnie, but it’s alright. Jongin doesn’t mind doing all the work. He was born to serve. He serves visual or other people, depending on the situation. For Sehun, it’s the latter. “You’ll break out in hives and you know I freak out when you’re sick, which is bad for both of us.”

Sehun looks like he’s contemplating punching Jongin. Or biting. Jongin hopes it’s biting. “I swear to God, Jongin,” Sehun groans, frustrated. He puts the bread back into the bag and makes a beeline for the fridge, then opens a can of stout beer and chugs from it. “One day when I reach zen and no longer affected by your stupid handsome face, I’ll fucking strangle you if you continue to spill bullshit like that again.”

Jongin freezes. “You think I’m handsome?”

“Not me. It’s god.” Sehun roars, then grabs the beer can and heads to his room, closing the door with a loud bang.

Jongin stands outside his room for ten minutes to beg for forgiveness, but Sehun only increases the volume of his Spotify playlist louder. Seems like it’s another favorite playlist of Dog, because from her box, she starts bouncing up and down happily.

Jongin is chopping carrots for dinner when Sehun appears right behind him. How the fuck did Sehun make no sound when he walked down the hallway? Jongin only becomes aware of his presence when he feels Sehun put his chin on his shoulder. Jongin almost slices his own finger.

“You’re like, annoyingly warm.”

Jongin very much wants to stuff his mouth with carrots so he doesn’t have to talk because his face is burning again. Damn Sehun. “You’re just strangely cold,” he replies.

Sehun hums. He looks around the kitchen. “Why don’t you turn on the lights?”

“I don’t need to,” Jongin shrugs. “Save the bills.”

There’s a light chuckle from Sehun. “Guess we’re both weird now,” he says. “Do you still want the bite?”

Jongin drops the knife and swiftly turns around, taking Sehun by surprise. Sehun sways on his feet, but Jongin is fast enough to reach out a hand and hold him close by the waist. Their faces are only millimeters away and Jongin finds himself staring directly into the hues of mesmerizing brown eyes. If heaven has a color, then this is it.

“Yes,” Jongin blurts out, voice rougher than intended.

“Uhm,” Sehun stutters. He grabs a fistful of Jongin’s shirt, opens his mouth, closes it, and opens it again. “O...kay?”

“Okay,” Jongin’s breath gets caught in his throat. He slides his hand down to palm Sehun’s firm, round, totally edible butt. “Have you, uhm, ever sired anyone before?”

Sehun’s flustered face darkens. “I’m not a fucking vampire!”

“Alright,” Jongin inhales and tilts his head back, baring his neck. “Then prove it.”

“I’m only doing this stupid gross shit because you keep saying I’m a vampire,” Sehun says grumpily. He shifts to plant one leg between Jongin’s legs in an effort to balance himself. Oh no, this is such a bad position. “So you better shut up soon.”

“Can you hurry up,” Jongin whines nervously.

“I’m on it,” Sehun assures, sounding as nervous as Jongin, if not more. “Tilt your head back a little more. Okay. Okay. Good.” He rubs the back of Jongin’s neck gently. “Are you ready?”

For someone who claims to be not-a-vampire, Sehun sounds oddly familiar with the proceedings. Jongin isn’t sure if he’s ready. He doesn’t even know how to come out to his family. He has yet to come out to his family that he likes men, though he thinks his mom knows, judging from all those articles about gay marriage she shares with him on KakaoTalk, but coming out as a vampire is different. But it’s too late to back up now.

“I’m ready,” Jongin whispers, and then Sehun’s lips touch the skin on his neck. Sehun starts with a soft lick, like a kitten, and as Jongin curls into the touch, he suddenly bites down. It doesn’t last long, only a few seconds, Sehun’s teeth sharp and cold on bare skin, filling Jongin with goosebumps.

Jongin should feel terrified, but he doesn’t. Not when he knows it’s Sehun.

“Done,” Sehun says, pulling away but still keeping Jongin at arm’s length. Jongin touches his neck. He can’t see the mark, but he can feel a bruise forming. The warmth of Sehun’s lips linger on that patch of skin, other than that, no strange feeling. There’s no trace of blood, and Sehun’s eyes are clear, not hazed with bloodlust like what Jongin’d read on the internet.

A minute passes by, and Jongin is still very alive. He experiences no fatigue, no seizure, nothing. He’s completely normal, except for Sehun’s teeth mark on his neck. Sehun doesn’t transform either. No crimson red eyes, no long, sharp fangs. He’s simply looking at Jongin, with his pretty eyes and his pretty, inviting lips.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” Jongin says. So he is wrong about Sehun being a vampire, but he hopes he’s right about reading the signs. He suddenly feels a boost of confidence. Maybe that bite is doing something to him. Sehun’s rosy cheeks are glowing in the dark, and he’s the most beautiful being Jongin’s ever seen. “Can I...can I just kiss you?”

Sehun gasps. “I thought you’d never ask! Oh hey, wait—”

He doesn’t get to finish the sentence when Jongin flips their positions so Sehun is pressed against the sink. He wraps an arm around Sehun’s waist tightly, and then slowly, but confidently, brushes his lips against Sehun’s, soft like butterfly wings. Sehun arches into the kiss, tentatively licks into Jongin’s mouth, and hums in delight when Jongin passive-aggressively pins his tongue down while his own, big, warm hands caress Sehun’s sides. They kiss like they’ve wanted to kiss for so long, hot and genuine and breathy, lips and body moving in sync like they’re waltzing the perfect waltz of the night together.

When they part for air, Jongin feels like he’s lost in the fabric of time. “I’m alright now,” he says.

“You’re unbelievable,” Sehun smacks his arm, but his gaze on Jongin is tender.

They decide to order Chinese take-out since Jongin has gone to cloud nine before he finishes chopping carrots. They sort of make out on the couch while waiting for delivery, just kissing and gently touching butt (Sehun’s butt is too great of an asset to pass), then more kissing. Sehun’s lips aren’t cold like his skin, they have more warmth and taste like chocolate. The culprit is definitely the chocolate bubble tea he was sipping on before Jongin came back with the non-garlic garlic bread.

“So,” Sehun asks in the middle of them sharing a large portion of lo-mein and orange chicken, “are we, you know, good?”

“Yeah,” Jongin licks his lip. Sehun gulps. “We’re good. Uhm. You taste good.”

The air around them stills, with Dog blinking at both of them in confusion. Jongin must have looked dumb, because Sehun whips out his phone and snaps a picture. “You’re dumb,” he confirms before going back to finish his lo-mein.

Later that night, when Sehun is back in his room to work on some coding for a delivery tracking system, Jongin scrolls through Instagram and finds a story from Sehun’s account, a black and white picture of him looking dazed and clearly shy, chopsticks in one hand, the other hand on Dog’s back. Sehun captions it with _“Idiot :)”_. It’s the picture taken during their takeout dinner earlier. Jongin types a response, _“Hey, who’s that handsome guy?”_

A minute later, he gets a reply. _“Her name is Dog. And she’s a girl.”_

“Stop lying to me!” Jongin yells, knowing Sehun would hear him clear and loud.

Sehun storms into Jongin’s room moments later, with a tiny scowl on his face, and tells Jongin to shut up so he could concentrate on his coding. Jongin says no, then Sehun growls and shuts him up with a kiss.

When Sehun storms out of his room, muttering something about _fucking annoying human_ , Jongin makes a victory sign at Dog.

She shoots him a side-eye glance.

*

In theory, it should happen romantically. For someone who proudly declares themselves as a realist, Sehun cares too much about romanticism. He watches sappy movies, cries over the second lead’s broken heart, leaves tears all over Jongin’s bear PJ, and demands ice cream to heal his mental exhaustion despite the fact that it’s midnight and the closest convenience store is fifteen minutes away. But Jongin tolerates it all, mostly for the rewarding moment where Sehun interlaces their fingers as they walk to the store.

He has imagined the sex to take place in one of those nights, when their lips taste like a weird mix of salted caramel ice cream and strawberry ice cream, when the moonlight casts sparkling silver squares on their apartment tiles, and Sehun shyly looks at him after they kiss, then Jongin would ask if he could take off all the clothes cockblocking them and venture one step further.

In reality, it happens on a normal Wednesday. Jongin comes home after his classes. Sehun is watching Naruto on TV, sipping on Cofioca chocolate bubble tea and wearing a Prince of Tennis T-shirt.

“Welcome home,” he says. “Baekhyun hyung stopped by this morning.”

“Oh, did he come to drop off my mom’s package for me?”

Sehun grins. “Yeah, there’s so much food.”

“There’s king crab too. I can finally try out the recipe I learned on Pinterest last week.” Jongin heads towards the fridge and pours himself a cup of water. “Did he say anything else?”

“He said we should have sex. ASAP.”

Jongin chokes on his water. He coughs violently. “Said what???”

“Calm down, calm down,” Sehun pats his back. When Jongin’s breath returns, Sehun moves his hand away and looks at Jongin, beautiful eyes brimming with uncertainty.

“Sehun?” Jongin asks. “What’s wrong?”

“You don’t want to do it?” His voice is small, and he takes another step back.

“What?” Jongin blinks, before he remembers the reason why he almost dies from choking on water. He cups Sehun’s face and strokes his rosy cheek gently with his thumb. “Hey, of course I want to do it with you. I want to do everything with you.”

“Then why were you so shocked?”

“It’s...it’s not how I imagined it,” Jongin sighs, and tells Sehun about the romantic, moonlight-themed scenario he had envisioned in his head.

“Oh, you dummy,” Sehun says fondly. “It’s not the _where_ , but the _who_. You can have me in a tiny bathroom stall stink of piss and I’d still be happy.”

He pauses for a moment and scrunches up his nose. “But please don’t do that unless necessary. I enjoy lying down when I get dicked down.”

And it’s the exclusive invitation Jongin needs. He lunges forward to kiss Sehun fervently, and Sehun topples back onto the floor, but he’s laughing between kisses, so everything is good.

“I haven’t had proper sex in like, two and a half years,” Jongin confesses when he’s two fingers deep inside Sehun. “It’s either drunk sex that I was too hungover to remember details, or some blowjobs. You’re my — you help me reintegrate myself into the community of the sexually active.”

Sehun grimaces. “Please never open your mouth again, unless it’s for sucking my cock.”

“I’m trying to be romantic,” Jongin pouts. He twists his fingers around while lapping his tongue at Sehun’s very sensitive spot on his chest, near his left nipple. “Will you get over this stupid romanticism stuff,” Sehun seethes at him for a moment, then stops, his eyelids flutter as his knees spread wider when Jongin’s fingers arrive at the right bundle of nerves. “Fuck,” he exhales shakily, milky skin glistening with sweat. “Fuck romantic.”

“I got you,” Jongin adds a third finger. Sehun winces at the burn of being breached, but melts as soon as Jongin closes his fist around Sehun’s straining cock and starts stroking, curling his finger around the tip to catch the liquid there. He picks up the pace of his fingers inside Sehun, crooking just so and Sehun shudders, his hips stuttering forward. “Jongin.”

Jongin looks up at the twinkling pools in cocoa brown eyes, shining with desire. He smiles and trails up Sehun’s torso with his lips, kissing his taut stomach, his chest, nipping at his collarbones, before he meets Sehun’s cherry-red, swollen lips in a fierce kiss.

“Jongin, _please_.”

Sehun is so wanton he has Jongin’s heart doing back flips. He quickly puts on a condom, and nudges his painfully hard cock against Sehun’s hole, which flutters from the light, teasing touch. Jongin smiles, albeit cockily, no pun intended, and rubs at Sehun’s firm cheeks gently with his palm. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“Sure, Your Highness,” Sehun says sarcastically. How he manages to pull that tone off when his cock is slick and leaking and he’s pushing against Jongin desperately, searching for friction, Jongin doesn’t know. He slides into the welcoming tight heat, and has to pause to take a breath because Sehun is so damn tight Jongin could literally come right on the spot.

“Shit,” Jongin says.

“Jonginnie,” Sehun whimpers, “you can move.”

The pet name squeezes Jongin’s heart, but in a good way, filling the air they breathe with pure sensuality. He begins to thrust, slowly at first, while jerking Sehun at the same pace. The noises that come out of Sehun’s mouth become unintelligible, his fingernails claw at Jongin’s forearm, leaving uneven marks. He writhes under Jongin, getting closer to the edge as Jongin picks up the pace, stretching Sehun open, stroking every part inside him. The desire burning through Jongin’s body is almost animalistic; it overwhelms him with the need to keep moving, keep diving deeper into the poignant heat, until every muscle in Sehun’s body is yearning and shouting for him.

Sehun arches up to meet Jongin’s thrusts, urging him on. He pulls Jongin down for an open-mouth kiss, grazing his teeth over Jongin’s jaw, whispers of _fuck me_ and _make me_ hot and wet on Jongin’s bare skin. When they break apart, Sehun tosses his head, legs wrapped around Jongin’s waist, their bodies locked together in the most primal act, with Jongin’s cock riding over the spot that drives Sehun completely mad, again and again.

When Sehun tightens around him, Jongin leans down to push his damp and matted hair out of his forehead. He isn’t sure what pushes Sehun over the brink of his orgasm — his loving gesture or his cock sliding in and out, pressing against the spot — but Sehun comes with a hoarse shout, thick, milky bursts spilling all over Jongin’s fist. It doesn’t take long for Jongin to follow, he feels like he’s floating, and only becomes aware when Sehun slides his tongue through Jongin’s parted lips, sighing a rough, happy sound into his mouth. The white, blinding stars behind Jongin’s eyelids fade, replaced with an image of Sehun, thoroughly spent, smiling at him with everything he can express in his exhausted euphoria.

Jongin collapses onto the bed and gathers Sehun in his arms. The sheets are sticky with their come, they are both sweaty as fuck, but Jongin only cares about one thing: Sehun.

“I should go get a washcloth to clean us up,” he licks at Sehun’s collarbone. It tastes salty, tastes like great sex. “Or I can clean you up with my mouth.”

“Oh shut up, you uncultured swine,” Sehun says, yet Jongin hears no protest in his words.

“Alright,” Jongin has decided. “Let me turn off the light first. It’s too bright in here.”

Sehun laughs, “Who’s a vampire now?”, but his laugh is short-lived, turning into a throaty, incoherent moan as Jongin flips him over and circles his eager tongue around Sehun’s oversensitive entrance.

“Mmmh,” Jongin hums softly, pressing his tongue in, licking at the wetness inside. Sehun offers him no resistance, writhing and slender fingers clutching at Jongin’s arm like a lifeline. Jongin’s tongue dips in as far as it can, and with his face buried between Sehun’s round, firm cheeks, Jongin thinks this is the only place he wants to be.

*

“So Sehun is—”

“Beautiful. Pure. Ethereal. Gorgeous. Untouchable.” Jongin concludes with a dreamy smile. “Except for me. I have privileges.” To Sehun’s lips and butt. Other parts too.

“I just want to ask if he’s a vampire,” Yixing smiles understandingly. “But it’s cute. You sound like me when I first met Baekhyun.”

“Really?” Baekhyun asks. “I wore flared jeans and had a mullet when I first saw you.”

“Still the most beautiful guy I’ve ever seen,” Yixing says.

Kyungsoo gags. “Please take this conversation somewhere else so I can finish my lunch in peace.”

“Says the one who wrote a poem for Chanyeol.”

“Excuse me, it was a memo.”

“It’s really adorable. Do you guys want to hear it? _Your eyes are brighter than the stars of_ —”

“I know how to dissect a body very well,” Kyungsoo says, promptly sealing everyone’s mouth shut. “Okay, now lover boy, you’re saying?”

Sometimes Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo is the real leader of Illuminati. Anyways. “Sehun is not a vampire.”

“You sound really convinced,” Chanyeol reaches out to touch Jongin’s forehead. “What if his vampiric cum already transformed you?”

“Keep your mouth shut, Park,” Baekhyun covers Yixing’s ears with his hands. “There’s no such thing as vampires.”

“As I say,” Jongin ignores his friends’ antics, “I let him bite me and we’re just fine. Also, he can eat garlic. Garlic bread tastes much better with garlic in it, you know?”

“It’s called _garlic_ bread, Jongin.”

“What about mirrors?” Chanyeol asks. “It freaks me out whenever I come over and have to pee and walk into the bathroom to see a mirror covered in a thin white cloth. It looks like a fucking crime scene.”

“There’s no light in his apartment. It’s like traveling back in time before our ancestors invented electricity.”

“And they have a bat.”

“Her name is Dog,” Jongin scowls. “She gets sad if you don’t call her by her name. Respect her identity.”

“A sentimental bat,” Baekhyun corrects.

“Dog,” Jongin insists. He picks up the last piece of chicken in his salad, looking at it forlornly. “And I’m used to living in the dark now. Saves me a ton of money on electricity bills.”

“So,” Yixing says, finally done with eyefucking Baekhyun, “do you guys hang out in the morning? Is he allergic to sunlight as in, mild allergy, or as in, _expose me to the sun and I’ll die like Icarus_?”

“Didn’t Icarus fake his death and later crawled onto the shore where Apollo told him _your dad will never find us here_?”

“No, Jongin, Icarus OD on vitamin D,” Baekhyun deadpans. “But D could also mean dick.”

The waitress comes over to refill their water and winces.

“Sorry honey,” Yixing says apologetically. He looks so sincere the waitress blushes. Then he resumes his speech. “Speaking of vitamin, semen does contain actual nutrients like vitamin C, B12, ascorbic acid, calcium, citric acid, lactic acid, magnesium, zinc, and—”

“Jesus take the wheel,” Kyungsoo groans.

*

“Does it bother you?”

“This?” Jongin looks at the tiny purple sweater in his hand. They’re at a pet store shopping for Dog, and Jongin feels offended on behalf of her for the lack of clothing for bats. They have to look at hamster clothes as an alternate. Fuck inequality. “Why are they discriminating against bats? I’m angry. I hope Dog never hears about this. A lovely girl like her deserves a brand.”

“That sweater you’re holding is not too bad,” Sehun says. “Or we can just order custom made clothes from Shopee.”

“Good idea,” Jongin immediately puts the sweater back on the shelf like it would burn him if he continues to hold it.

“But it’s not what I mean,” Sehun speaks again. He’s pushing the cart towards the dairy section to restock cereal. “What if…” He pauses. “Are you ashamed of me?”

Jongin blinks. “Why would I be ashamed of you?”

“I cannot tolerate direct sunlight. I cannot hang out in the morning.” Sehun clutches at the hem of his shirt. Jongin gently takes the cereal box from Sehun’s hand, places it in the cart and waits. “And you’re a morning person. You like morning runs, your ideal vacation is to watch the sunrise by the beach with the one you love, and I can’t do any of that with you. I mean...I can try? But if I don’t succeed, will you hate me?”

“Sehun, look at me,” Jongin demands. Sehun obliges after a moment of hesitation. There’s doubt swimming in pools of warm brown, and Jongin wants to kiss his insecurity away. So he does. He gives Sehun a peck on the cheek, then at the corner of his lips. He’s used to Sehun’s cold skin now, it makes kissing him feel like tasting ice cream, totally sweet.

“You,” Sehun says, face flushed, but he doesn’t move away from Jongin’s touch.

“That’s my answer,” Jongin says. He interlaces their fingers together. “It’s the _who_.” He recycles Sehun’s words. “Any minute spent with you is the happiest moment of my life. I could rewatch Kuroko with you in our lightless apartment and eat instant ramen and I’d choose that over sunrise and morning beach over and over again if I have to.”

Sehun ducks his head, trying to hide the little shy smile on his lips. He squeezes Jongin’s hand tightly. “You’re such a sap,” he mumbles. “What’s wrong with Kuroko, though?”

“It’s Kagami. Dude shouldn’t be able to beat GoM easily like that.” Jongin shakes his head in disappointment. “It’d make more sense to wait until the next championship, but you know, manga.”

*

On their three-month anniversary, Jongin takes Sehun to Jongdae’s Italian bistro. It’s fancy, and Jongin may have to eat McDonald’s or convenience store sandwiches for two weeks after this, but he wants to do something special for Sehun. Plus, Jongdae is generous enough to give him a 30% discount.

Dinner is excellent. Sehun can’t stop smiling, he loves the food, he loves the attention from Jongin even more. They talk about the new movie release in theatre, their jobs, their friends, Dog’s new love interest, a toy poodle named Monsieur that she often sees when Jongin and Sehun take her out for an evening walk in the park near their apartment.

“I can’t believe you really thought I was a vampire,” Sehun sips his wine elegantly. He’s drinking red wine today, Jongin thinks he chose it on purpose because the smug grin flashing across his face when the waiter asked if they wanted whine wine or red wine definitely has meaning. “And you seek advice from a Reddit thread? Really? Did they tell you to bring holy water and put garlic in your wallet?”

“Kind of?” Jongin says. There are also...regional tips. The thread mentions more than one kind of bloodsucker and provides a guide for travelers to avoid being an impromptu midnight snack for creepy ghouls. “I didn’t know what to do. Reddit seemed like a good place to start.”

“Besides, it’s your fault.” He points a finger at Sehun. “You never post any mirror selfie and you have those weird red liquid bottles all around the place! You rarely go out and I never see your friends.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to see my friends,” Sehun grumbles. “I don’t want to see these assholes either. Johnny runs a sex shop and Minseok travels around the world hunting ghosts. Yeonseok is a forensic pathologist and he talks about corpses 24/7. Donghae is—”

“I’d love to meet your friends regardless,” Jongin interjects. “They’ll love me.”

“You speak too soon,” Sehun eyes him warily, but his tone is soft. “Wait. I think Minseok will like you. He watches horror movies as if they were morning news.”

When Sehun talks, he talks with his hand gestures. It’s adorable, and Jongin’s heart is so full. How can someone be so beautiful when they just breathe?

“You’re staring at me,” Sehun suddenly says. “Are you even listening to what I’ve been saying?”

“Not really,” Jongin admits. He makes a promise to himself to never lie to Sehun, knowing how much Sehun hates it. Sehun lifts an eyebrow inquisitively. Jongin bites down on his lower lip. “I’m, uhm, nervous.”

The frown is visible on Sehun’s face. He puts down his fork, strawberry cheesecake long forgotten. “Are you not feeling good?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine,” Jongin smiles. Sehun places a hand on top of Jongin’s, the coldness of his skin no longer makes Jongin uncomfortable. If any, it makes Jongin warm and fuzzy inside out. “Listen, I—I got you a gift.”

Sehun lets out a sigh of relief. “Shit, I thought you were going to break up with me or something.”

Jongin squeaks. “I would never!”

“I was raised to deal with the worst scenarios. My job doesn’t help either. Horrible clients and stuff.” Sehun says, but a smile graces his lips. “What did you get me? Is it the 25th anniversary limited edition Gintama figurine? The Prince of Tennis 1999 edition?”

Jongin takes out a small rectangular box from his bag. Sehun stills when he opens it and sees a gold necklace. It’s a simple thin chain with no charm, but the moment Jongin sees it at the store, he immediately imagines Sehun wearing it, looking gorgeous and sexy and precious.

“Do you like it?” Jongin asks, holding his breath.

After what seems like forever, Sehun looks up and shit, his eyes are wet? “Oh my god, Sehun, please don’t cry,” Jongin panics. “I’m sorry. I can return it, you can go with me and choose something that you like? I’m really sorry—”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because Sehun leans across the table and stops his ramblings with a kiss. He even gives him an extra teasing lick into his mouth, electrifying and hypnotizing Jongin. “You idiot,” he whispers to a dazed Jongin. “I _love_ it. I just didn’t expect a special gift like this.” He runs a finger over the necklace, eyes sparkling with happiness before he pauses. “This is not a goodbye gift, right?”

“I’m not going to war,” Jongin rolls his eyes, unimpressed.

“Then what’s the occasion?”

The moment Jongin has been practicing for. “I want to officially ask you to be my boyfriend,” he says. “I know we’ve been hanging out more intimately in the last three months, but we never have a conversation about...us. I know three months is not a long time, but I also know I don’t need any sunlight if you’re around. So, Sehun, would you be my boyfriend?”

Sehun tilts his head cutely. “Even if I could be a vampire?”

It’s not a dealbreaker. Even if Sehun is a vampire _and_ drinks Jongin’s blood. “I don’t mind,” he says.

“Even if I may turn you into a vampire and you have to stick with capitalism for centuries?”

“Eternity is better with you,” Jongin says. “As long as we get vampire-married.”

“Even if I could never take you to watch the sunrise at a beach?”

“I just need you,” Jongin says, loud and clear. “Baby, can you please say yes? I’m so anxious right now because I hadn’t really practiced for a scenario where you turn me down so if it happens now, I’d go to the nearest cliff and jump and capitalism would have zero effect on me—”

“Okay, drama queen, yes.” Sehun beams at him. “Yes.”

Jongin feels like he could cry a river of joy. “Does it mean you love me back?”

“I moan your name every night like a prayer and I’m not even religious. I let you do whatever you want to me and I sit with you through a whole series of Insidious and I blow you every Friday to wake you up. Plus, you’re the first one I did laundry for.” Sehun says it all with his signature neutral face, but in the reflection of his eyes, Jongin sees only himself, blushing and glowing with pure happiness. “So, yes, I love you, and I would love to be your boyfriend.”

Jongin’s heart is beating so fast, so frantic, that when Sehun smiles into the kiss (yes, another, much to Jongdae’s dismay from behind the bar counter), _“I can hear your heartbeat, you know”_ , Jongin isn’t surprised.

“It’s yours to hear,” he mumbles back. “Hey, let me put on the necklace for you.”

*

“What the fuck,” Sehun opens his eyes, voice hoarse with sleep, “are you doing at six in the goddamn morning?”

Sehun is so grumpy in the morning. His tousled bed hair makes him more attractive than he already is, and Jongin would run his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair and tucks it behind his ear then presses a kiss to his temples if he isn’t busy holding a camera.

 _Boyfriend_. He likes the sound of that. “Good morning, sunshine!”

“Don’t call me by what I hate,” Sehun makes a kittenish grumpy sound. “And no good morning to you. I literally said good night two hours ago.”

“Worry not, my morning is always good with the sight of you,” Jongin says cheerfully. He clicks the shutter, capturing the moment where Sehun prettily rakes a hand through his bed hair, throwing his head back a little, showing the gold necklace on his neck.

“Are you taking a picture of me?”

“Yes,” Jongin chirps. Last night, after they officially became boyfriends, Jongdae had asked to take a picture of them so he could add it to his collection on the wall. Jongin wasn’t sure at first, he never took a picture of Sehun, having read somewhere that vampires couldn't be seen in photographs due to the silver salts used in photographic film. He wasn’t ready to see a picture of him, smitten, whipped, putting his hand around an empty chair. But Sehun agreed, and wrapped an arm around Jongin’s shoulder to pull him close. The picture turned out beautiful, their chemistry evident in the way Jongin’s hand on Sehun’s thigh and Sehun’s head leaning towards Jongin.

 _So you do show up in a photo_ , Jongin had said in awe, and Sehun had kicked him, hard. He refused to let Jongin photograph him, but Jongin knew Sehun couldn’t be angry at him for long.

He is proven true when Sehun blinks at him. “Fine, whatever,” he waves a hand dismissively. “I’m going back to sleep.”

“I’ll take a lot of pictures of you,” Jongin grins from behind the lens. “To make up for what I’ve missed because of a stupid conspiracy theory.”

“Whatever,” Sehun repeats, pulling up his blanket. “If I look ugly, I’ll bite you.”

“Rest assured, Your Bloody Highness,” Jongin laughs, eyes crinkling and heart fulfilling at the way Sehun intentionally turns on his left side and shifts around so his hair looks more _naturally_ tousled.

“I love you,” Jongin whispers. He’s sure his words are lost in the shutter-click sound, but from the tender smile plastered on Sehun’s face, he figures Sehun has heard it.

*

Google search history:

_Vampire lifestyle house decoration ideas_

_How to make apartment look cozy with minimal light_

_Bat care during mating season_

_Bat house (not Batman)_

_Can a bat mate with a poodle_

_Illuminati and veterinarians_

_How to tell my neighbor I’m not a vampire_

“We can always buy more light bulbs,” Sehun says. “Or use thinner curtains. My immune system is much stronger now. I actually went out for lunch with Minseok last week and didn’t break out.”

“Nah,” Jongin shrugs. “I kind of like this.” He makes a gesture around the familiar darkness. “I feel more powerful. Kim Jongin, The Dark Knight of Seventh Floor.”

“What’s the deal with Illuminati and veterinarians?” Sehun narrows his eyes at Jongin’s laptop screen.

“Just a theory,” Jongin tries not to visualize Kyungsoo in his head. Last week, he took Dog to Kyungsoo’s clinic for a check-up and accidentally saw Kyungsoo emerge from under a _tile_. Life has not been the same since then. “Wait, you didn’t think a bat and a dog mating was weird?”

Sehun sips his hibiscus tea and passes the mug to Jongin. It’s been a year since they started dating, and Jongin now can't live without Sehun’s unique hibiscus tea. The flavor is stronger than any brand on the market, but it tastes heavenly. “Why should I?” Sehun asks. “Dog can mate with whatever species she is interested in. Love knows no boundaries.”

Only Sehun would say those things, and Jongin knows he genuinely means it. He can be so random, but his heart is the purest. “Oh Sehun,” Jongin’s chest swells with affection. His lips meet Sehun’s in a soft, plush caress. “I love you so much.”

“Sure you do,” Sehun laughs, long lashes slightly trembling. A year and Jongin’s kisses still have this effect on him. Jongin is undoubtedly the luckiest man in the world. “Hey, I have an idea.”

He opens a new tab and types into the search bar.

_How to act like real vampires?_

“I don’t think our neighbor would listen.” Sehun is right. She never listens. Every attempt at a civil conversation with her ends up in her making up rumors about Jongin and spreading it to her churchgoer friends. “So maybe we should change tactics. You know. Show, don’t tell.”

The mischievous glint in those brown irises shine brighter than Apollo himself, and Jongin is amazed at how he finds a new reason to fall in love with Sehun every day. “You’re a genius,” Jongin cackles. “We should go shopping for red accessories tomorrow. Didn’t Dracula often wear dark attires with red accents?”

“Marceline the Vampire Queen wore red boots with an attitude,” Sehun says. “And a grey tank top. But you shouldn’t do that. Your nipples are distracting.”

“Is that a hint?”

Sehun immediately unbuttons his shirt when Jongin crawls on top of him. “It’s a whole invitation, dumbass.”

*

It starts when Jongin and Sehun decide to move out.

“Dog is growing up so we need a place with a garden,” Jongin says. “Sehun loves flowers, so we want to grow a small garden too.”

“Dog is barely home,” Baekhyun pushes his glasses up his nose. “She’s always stalking that poodle. What’s his name again? Is he French?”

“The correct word is _courting_. She’s trying to woo Monsieur,” Sehun says. “Besides, she is part of the family. She deserves her own room. Cave. Anyways, good thing is we found a place.”

Jongin swipes up his phone to show Baekhyun a few pictures of the new place. It’s a two-story house in Gyeonggi-do with a small front yard. The neighborhood is quiet, and it only takes half an hour to commute to the English center where Jongin works.

“We want to look for a new roommate,” Jongin says. “There’s a big study downstairs we don’t really use, so we convert it into a bedroom.”

“So,” Baekhyun slowly chews on a cookie. “You want me to introduce you to potential roommate candidates who should be clean, quiet, single, and don’t mind a vampire lifestyle?”

Jongin winces. “Don’t put it like that. It’s just a lifestyle with minimal light and social distancing from the sun. And they don’t have to be single? I just want to make sure that the only pleasure moan I’ll ever hear in my house is from Sehun and Sehun alone. Maybe say something like, if they want to bring someone home, do it quietly?”

“That’s TMI for me,” Baekhyun says, but the smirk on his face means otherwise. Baekhyun loves investing in other people’s business. Jongin loves him regardless. “Did you guys put up your ad online?”

“No, we’re asking for connections from our friends first. The ones from the internet can be too much. I mean, what if we accidentally welcome a witch? A fugitive?”

“Then let Sehun bite them to death,” Baekhyun says. “You thought Sehun was a vampire, out of all kinds, and yet you refused to move out.”

“I’m special,” Sehun grins, putting a hand on the small of Jongin’s back.

“The most special,” Jongin turns his head and kisses Sehun. Sehun’s eyes crinkle into two adorable crescent moons. “The feeling is mutual,” he says.

“Ew,” Baekhyun says.

“Don’t be jealous,” Jongin coos. “You have a husband. Yixing hyung will be back next week, and you can go make out in public again.”

“I just miss him,” Baekhyun sighs, then his phone rings and when he recognizes Yixing’s number, his face lights up like a thousand stars. “Okay, gotta go. I’ll send over some candidates. You know I’m good at this matchmaking business.”

*

Baekhyun is indeed good at this roommate matchmaking business, because less than a week later, Jongin is introduced to Lucas, a twenty-something guy who has just returned from New York after completing his Master’s degree in Film Production. Lucas is nice. He likes animals, doesn’t mind having a bat flying around the house, and since he works as an assistant producer for a quite popular agency, his schedule is just as weird.

Lucas is even nicer in person. He doesn’t seem to mind about the lack of light in the house. When Jongin tells him it’s a personal preference, he just shrugs and says, “Cool.” The house viewing goes smoothly. Lucas tells Jongin about his work, his schedule; they discuss basic agreements such as having guests over or quiet hours.

Nevertheless, something changes when they finish the house tour and sit down to discuss paperwork. Jongin has to turn on the light, because neither of them can read and sign in the dark. Jongin used to practice that to scare his ex-neighbor, but now she’s out of sight, that pseudo-vampire lifestyle is not necessary anymore.

He flips the switch, and Lucas lets out a loud shriek that pierces through Jongin’s eardrum. “Oh my god, I know who you are!”

“What?” Jongin asks, slightly annoyed. His eardrum is still shaking. “Why suddenly—” He pauses. Now that the light is on, he could see Lucas, not covered by a face mask and a gigantic pair of sunglasses. The high cheekbones, those sharp eyes, the plump lips. The gears in his head shift into place. It was the summer of his junior year in college. “Lucas? Wong Yukhei? You were the exchange student who played Hamlet in SNU drama club’s year-end production?”

Lucas blinks. “Yeah. Uhm, so—”

“I’m surprised you still remember me!” Jongin laughs heartily. “We met at rehearsals but it’s been what, five, no, six years? You were amazing, man. Baekhyun was so pleased with the result. And he’s a perfectionist. Did you know you had a fanclub after the play? They signed up for our drama club in the fall semester because of you and were so devastated to find out you already returned to Hongkong. How have you been?”

“G-good,” Lucas says, small beads of sweat gathering at his forehead, slowly trickling down. Jongin frowns. Is the AC still working? He should ask Sehun to check it. Speaking of the lovely angel, he hears the sound of their shoes cabinet open and turns around to see Sehun standing there in his neat work attire, white shirt and grey slacks.

Sehun smiles softly. “Hi there.”

Jongin glances at his watch. Just in time. Perfect. “Hey, Sehun, this is Lucas, our potential new roommate. We actually worked together for a year-end production in college. He recognized me first!” Sehun just smiles, listening to Jongin. “Anyway, Lucas, this is Sehun, my boyfriend and also your second roommate. He’ll take you to dinner.” Lucas looks at him, eyes like saucers. Jongin feels guilty. “I’m sorry, I knew I told you the three of us would go but I have to come in to supervise a final exam for my colleague’s class. But you could come back here with Sehun after dinner, I’ll bring home some desserts from the best bakery in town.”

He turns to Sehun and pecks him on the cheek. “I have to go. Take care of Lucas, alright? Don’t scare him. Talk about your favorite movie. Flowers. Don’t talk about Java. Or Minseok’s paranormal adventures.”

“Excuse me, I know how to socialize,” Sehun pouts. “You should go. I’ll just go grab my power bank and then I’ll take Lucas to the restaurant.”

Before Jongin closes the door, he hears Sehun ask Lucas, “Tea or coffee?” Whatever Lucas says is drowned out by the sound of Jongin’s phone ringing. Jongin wonders if Sehun serves Lucas the signature hibiscus tea, and if the kid freaks out like he used to.

*

“What do you mean _'he found a new place'"_?

When Jongin returns with an assortment of cakes, there’s no Lucas in sight, only Sehun lounging on the couch with Dog nestled in his hair. Sehun tells Jongin that Lucas ran into an old friend at the restaurant, who is living in Seoul right now, and the friend offered him a room in his apartment in Itaewon, which is much closer to the agency where Lucas works.

“He just immediately decided to ghost on us like that?” Jongin asks in disbelief. Lucas had been so excited during their conversations, and during the house viewing too. He even told Jongin he had all his belongings packed and ready to move in. He got a plan to grow white roses in the yard. “Like, no hesitation at all?”

“He’s not that bad, Jongin,” Sehun scoffs. “He told his friend he already found a place, even introduced me, but his friend was very insistent. Apparently, there was a history between them. So, I asked Lucas about it when his friend already returned to his table.”

“And?”

“You know I have great intuition,” Sehun grins. “Lucas and that boy used to date. He broke up with Lucas when Lucas went to New York to study for his Master’s.”

“While they still had feelings for each other?” Jongin continues, and Sehun nods. “And you took the initiative to play matchmaker?”

“I know how hard it is to find love,” Sehun’s eyes softens. “Not everyone can be lucky like me.”

Jongin melts, his ears blushing beet red. Sehun laughs, amused. “Really, Jongin?”

“I can’t help it when you compliment me,” Jongin huffs. “So Lucas just...dipped like that? I didn’t get any message from him.”

“He left with his friend. They probably have lots of things to figure out tonight.”

“Still,” Jongin says. “He could at least send me a message. He’s always very proactive. Today he was late for two minutes, but he texted me in advance and kept apologizing.”

“Maybe he will contact you tomorrow,” Sehun sits up and stretches. “I mean, I did tell him to talk things out with his friend first.”

“Well, then good for him if the reunion goes well,” Jongin places a strawberry shortcake on Sehun’s favorite plate. “I was so sure we could get this whole roommate thing done by today. Life is unpredictable, huh? Death is the only certain thing.”

Sehun hugs him from behind, pressing his chest against Jongin’s back. His heartbeat is steady in Jongin’s ears. “Don’t stress out, Heidegger. We can start looking again in a few days. Or any time you want, honestly. I don’t mind paying the full rent.”

“No, we talk about this,” Jongin sighs. “I know you don’t mind, but I do. It’s alright. I still have a few more contacts from Baekhyun hyung. And you said Johnny and Minseok gave you some references too, right?”

“Yeah, but I trust Johnny more. Minseok’s reference may be a ghost and we’d never know.”

“I could jump into fire and go through hell for you,” Jongin snorts. Sehun’s arms tighten around him. Sehun never says it out loud, but Jongin knows he loves it when Jongin showers him with sweet words. “Frankly speaking, a ghost is nothing.”

“My hero,” Sehun whispers adoringly, grazing his lips down Jongin’s neck. His hands move from Jongin’s waist to the front of his jeans, and Jongin looks at the cakes solemnly, knowing there’s no time for this kind of dessert tonight.

*

**_Today, 8:54 PM_ **

**_From u/loeygotospace_ **

_Hi there! I hope this reply finds you alive and well? Sorry, it’s a terrible joke. It’s been 1.5 years since you sent me a message and almost 4 years since I last logged in, I’m sorry. I quit my engineering job to pursue music and things got hectic, so I didn't have time for Reddit and forgot about this account entirely. I was going through my old Gmail the other day to find some stuff and yeah, I ended up here._

_I don’t know how serious you were when you pm’ed me, but I’d answer based on what I know: A vampire’s touch is not poisonous. A vampire’s bite doesn’t hurt either. If any, you’ll feel waves of pleasure, and it heals fast. But there are many other ways to experience pleasure, I hope a vampire’s bite is the last thing that comes into your life ;)_

_For your case, it sounds like a massive crush. I hope you get your happy ending now!_

_Besides, thank you for upvoting my responses. I’m not sure about OP, but what I share, I’m serious about that. Vampires do exist. Some are pure blood vampires, some aren’t, but their senses are at another level, and they’re different from how the media portrays them. You can’t even tell; there are not a lot of vampires left (of course, otherwise we’d be living in a Twilight universe), but the existing ones are the best of their kind. Darwin’s survival of the fittest, ya know? My partner has been studying supernatural and folklore creatures for years, and the stories I hear from him, or the interviews I have the privilege to read, man, you’d never believe them. But they’re real. Very._

_I hope it doesn’t freak you out. I believe in the supernatural world, but I also believe that good and bad exist in every world, not just ours. I’d choose a good vampire over an asshole human anytime. So, don’t worry <3 _

_I’m not sure if you ever read this, but if you have any other question, hit me up!_

*

“Sehun?” Jongin stirs from his sleep, voice groggy. “Why are you still up?”

“Sorry,” Sehun mumbles. “I’m reading this manga.” He shifts, and there’s the distinct sound of him putting his phone down on the top of the drawer. “Let’s go back to sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“Midnight,” Sehun says, and turns around to bury his face into Jongin’s bare chest. “Mmmh. Good night.”

Even in the dark, with his eyes closed, Jongin could still map out the way Sehun is snuggling up to him. He ruffles Sehun’s hair and paints his forehead with a lazy kiss. “You sleep like a normal human now," he jokes. "I like it.”

Sehun’s soft breath is the only answer he gets, and within seconds, Jongin falls back into a deep slumber, safe and sound in the comfort of their new house and Sehun’s familiar cold skin.

*

**_Do you want to delete the message? The offline cached content will also be erased._ **

_Yes /No_

**_11:59 PM. Message successfully deleted._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Grace for hosting this fest, and for being the most understanding ever. You always lift me up when I doubt my own writing, and words cannot express how thankful I am. This fic is exactly what it is, just sit down and type as things flow in my head. Months later, I'm finally here (ง ื▿ ื)ว
> 
> Thank you Lin for your galaxy brain. The ending is dedicated to you, lovely. I'd wanted to gift it to you, but you don't like spoilers, so it'd ruin the surprise. Another day then, when you certainly don't expect it (ᵔ.ᵔ)


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